I've been into the gun hobby for nearly 20 years, but I've never had any interest in revolvers. That all changed last night, for absolutely no reason at all. I was browsing the internet while watching Live PD last night, when out of the blue I decided I needed a .44 Magnum revolver. 

In the brief few hours I've been doing research, I've selected a couple of Rugers that are what I'm after. I do realize these are essentially the same, just different barrel lengths.

Are these good to go, or should I look at other brands? 
Purpose: Range and fun. I'll stick with Glock for carry.

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Ruger is good to go, if you don't reload, here's a great chance to start.

You'll want some kind of recoil friendly grips, and those wood ones ain't them.

I've got the Alaskan, which is my only current mfg Ruger. I'm really happy with it.

If you are going to be shooting lots of full bore .44 magnums all the time the Rugers are excellent revolvers for that. If you want something to shoot a few magnum rounds but will primarily be shooting lighter rounds like .44 Special, a S&W Model 29 or its stainless brethren would be my choice. I believe the S&W will keep its value or appreciate more than the Ruger will. Plus the S&W is a much better looking revolver.

I would recommend (assuming DA based on the pics):







Even Lab approved too!

Is that a Dan Wesson?

I don't know much about 'em.

Look for a pre-lock S&W Model 29 (not the new "classic" version from Smith), it's the quintessential 44 mag revolver and they almost never drop in value either.

I have the longer barreled Redhawk in .44 Magnum and a 4 incher in .45 Colt.  Both are great guns to shoot.  I had a trigger job done on the .44 magnum Redhawk, and it is a great shooter.  Either will be a great shooter.  The longer barrel will help with recoil management and sight radius.  The shorter one will have more blast.  On my 44 magnum, I did put Hogue grips on it.  As mentioned the wood grips are not good for hot loads (great all day with .44 Special).  I would also look at the Smith and Wesson Model 629.  I want to find one in a 3 or 4 inch barrel.

Good luck.

Well being of the generation that grew up on Dirty Harry movies I have always wanted a model 29 from the same era i.e. 1970s just have not done it yet.

S&W > Ruger

The only place Ruger shines is longevity with heavy magnum hand-loads.   Since you stated "range fun" as your primary use, I don't think that will be an issue for you.

Not saying that Ruger doesn't make a good revolver, but S&W revolvers are much more refined IMHO and hold value better.

Ruger is a good choice
A pre lock 629 would be a better choice
Around my area you can find used 629's in the low 700's
Not sure what the Redhawks run but im willing to be also in the 7's

629 Talo edition 3"

Or

69 2.75"

IMHO a standard S&W 629 with a 5-inch full under-lug barrel is probably the best balance of shoot-abiliy, carry-ability, and handling in a 44 Mag.  5-inch full under-lug barrel gives you the weight to control the hot loads and the length to get good velocity out of the loads while not be so long at to be unwieldy.  I personally love 6.5-inch but find that too long to comfortably carry on the belt and still be able to sit down in a vehicle.  I chest carry my 6.5 inch N-frames but belt carry my 5-inch N-frames.

Hey, I carry an Taurus Raging Bull in the lightweight model, 2.25 inch barrel for archery in the Mountains where we have the Griz and the black bears.

Carry Buffalo Hard Cast flat lead designed for bear.

Gun is not at all a pleasure to shoot.  But it is light, it will handle the chamber pressures needed and is double lockup for the reason.

So for the money, and this purpose it beats Rugar or S&W hands down.

Now in Alaska ... pick a different Caliber  LIKE a LAWS.

If you want a nice DA gun I'd get a pre-lock S&W. A heavy bruiser I'd opt for a Super Redhawk. I have not owned a Dan in 44Mag but I did in 357 and I did not care for the DA trigger in it, SA mode it was fine.

My favorite fun .44 mag is my Ruger Super Redhawk 7.5" barrel.  The heavy barrel helps manage recoil from the full power, heavy bullet magnum loads especially in double action mode.

For packing around I recommend a .44 Magnum S&W Mountain Gun 629.  It has a 4" light profile barrel and feels really light after handling the SRH.  You will not want to shoot too many full power, heavy bullet magnum loads from this one due to recoil.

Both guns are incredibly accurate.

Yes it is a Dan Wesson.  The revolver the DOMINTAED IMSHA for accuracy and durability.....not to mention versatility with interchangeable barrel, grip sights......

I picked up a S&W 29-2 six inch for my Father in Law for his retirement.  He loves the Dirty Harry revolver.  It is so nice, I will be picking a 4" version up for myself one of these days.  I have a Model 19 also, probably my favorite gun, it is a toss up between that and the P7.  I guess the point of my post is you can't go wrong with an older S&W, I have no experience with the new ones.

Allow me to strongly suggest a S&W pre-lock 29 Classic round butt. These things simply snuggle into one's hand, IMO.

The full-length underlug stiffens the barrel, allowing even better accuracy over the standard Model 29s. The round butt has it all over the square butt for ergonomics, IMO.

A S&W will have 10 times a better trigger than a Ruger & will be more accurate to boot. Resale retention value is better with a S&W as well.

My .o2

I've been looking at the 629 Classic, either in 5" or 6.5" but so many comments saying get the older no-lock version instead... I have a no lock 686 and a lock 625 PC (with lock disabled and plugged), but it's not like no lock 44's are sitting around new anywhere :(.  I guess I can peruse GB and the like, but the no locks seem to command a pretty stiff premium, that's for sure.   Although I missed a nice 4" no lock in the EE just the other day b/c I didn't check my PM's fast enough.  I hate that ar15 doesn't notify on PM's like most forums :(.

Barring the actual lock (which I would remove and plug), what are the other benefits of a no-lock 29 over the newer models?  Pinned barrel?  Stronger Frame/better internals, etc?  I think with the -5's the trigger pin moved from the hammer to the frame, so I should be looking for -4 or older?

It does, you need to check your forum settings.

I appreciate the responses so far. Unfortunately all the advice has accomplished is to make me realize I'm going to have to buy both, a S&W and a Ruger. I'm attracted to the Ruger's strength, but I do agree the Smith's sure are sexy. 

Well dang, would you look at that... is that new, I don't recall that option existing before... thanks 

I'd probably go blued 6" S&W 29-2 for a classic 44 magnum even Clint Easdtwood would approve of. That or grab a modern S&W 629 6" barrel stainless for a woods gun. 

I'd recommend the Ruger Super Redhawk.  What fun is a big magnum revolver if you aren't going to shoot big magnum rounds?  Buying a .44 Magnum to shoot .44 SPC is just silly, IMO.  The Ruger is built stronger and will do a better job of handling heavier loads than the Smiths will.  That said, the Smiths have VERY nice triggers and the finishes are a bit nicer (but they also scratch more easily).  If you want single-action, look no further than the Magnum Research BFR.  Built like an absolute tank.  If you run out of bullets you can beat the hell out of whatever is trying to harm you.

I had a Super Redhawk in .454 Casull.  It was a great revolver.  Very accurate and got a lot of attention at the range.  I also had a Smith & Wesson 500 which was neat, but unfortunately S&W's X-frames aren't built good enough to handle the heavy recoil of the really stout 500 loads.  A lot of pieces would shake themselves loose on that gun after a while.  I ended up selling both the SRH and S&W500 and got a BFR in .460 Magnum.  If you want the best built sub $1000 .44 Magnum, then the BFR is the best option.  But it's a single action and it is expensive for a single action.  They run around $850-950.  They're essentially custom-built revolvers.  If money is no object, then get a Freedom Arms revolver.  If you want a range toy get a Super Redhawk.  If you want a safe queen get an S&W.

S&W 629 5 or 6" pre-lock or current model

Don't wait too long! They ain't getting any cheaper!

My 1976 29-2 6-1/2" and 1980 29-2 4"

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range toy?

6" barrel



Maybe carry it in the woods every now and then?

4" barrel.


my only 44 mag right now is a 6" 629-1


im on the hunt for a pre lock 4" S&W 44.

A link to the s&w 29/629 with the model #'s and what changes were done to make different model prefix's.
S&W model 29/629 prefex and year of the changes

Myself I have a 629-4 with a full underlug/6 1/2" bbl. It's nothing more than a beater truck gun that has shot countless 1000's of rounds (factory/mild to wild reloads). I use it for nothing more than plinking anymore. Started coating my cast bullets a couple years ago and decided to retest loads for the 629. Was looking for loads that would do mgb (minute of gold ball @ 25yds) Or 1 1/2" groups @ 25yds (nra bullseye/x-ring). Used 6 different bullets and 7 different powders & it didn't take long to find a couple loads that would hold the x-ring @ 25yds, namely 13 loads.


Most of those loads are in the 950fps to 1250fps range. I always get a laugh at posts stating 44mag/full house loads/why 44spl/yada-yada-yada. Anyone care to put their catchers mitt on and go down to the 100yd line and catch some of those 250gr/1250fps 44spl (light 44mag loads) loads? A 250gr/270gr bullet doing 1200fps +/- in a 44spl/mag will easily take care of 95%+ of shooting needs. Heck, wc/target loads in the 44spl/mag make major and are shot 1 handed in nra events.

Myself, I chose the s&w over the ruger for these reasons.
better quality
better value/holds value/resale
tighter/even cylinders
no bbl constrictions
drilled & taped for scopes/redots

If I did buy a redhawk I'd send it out and have:
A professional trigger job done on it
Have the forcing cone trued/re-cut
Have the bbl constriction removed
Slick the bbl/tubs or other polish
Have the cylinders honed/polished/trued/even the diameter of them
drill & tap for scope true to the center line of the bore

I'm not badmouthing ruger or any other firearm/44cal. I've owned/shot the 44cal's for 30+ years in firearms ranging from the ruger blackhawks/redhawks & auto-mag carbines to marlin lever actions, contenders, s&w's, dw's, taurus raging bulls, and my favorite the charter arms snubnosed revolver/44spl. I 've cast & swaged my own bullets for the 44cal's for 3+ decades and still do to this day. I will say this, for raw out of the box accuracy you stand a better chance with the s&w. Unless you give your s&w a steady diet of full house loads of 44mags & by a steady diet I'm talking 1000's of rounds over several years. I had a 10" bbl'd 29/silhouette model and shot full house loads out of it for 3+ years using hot hot loads for silhouettes. It never came loose and accuracy wise. It ran circles around the 7 1/2" blackhawk I also used.

If it was me I'd be taking a look at the s&w competitor.
s&w 44cal competitor

My 629-4 shoots accurate enough to keep me from buying the 44cal competitor. I bought a 357mag competitor and all's I can say is it flat out shoots. Still thinking about selling the 629 & adding some $$$ to buy the 44mag competitor.

You can either hit the loud button and make noise or you can hit what your aiming at.

If you think you want a Ruger, make sure the grip shape works for your hands.  My Dad has a Redhawk, and it's so uncomfortable to me (and him) that dry firing it almost hurts and neither of us shoot it.
I got a 629 a couple of weeks ago and it feels perfect.

I have the 5 inch 629 full lug classic.  It is a new one. Love it.

For "reasons" I want a blued 6.5" 29-2. Currently, I have a 6" 629 Classic Hunter. It looks practically new, but I would rather have the 29-2.

I'm "virtually" always a S&W guy when it comes to revolvers.
I don't know how many variations of 44 mags i've shot but it's a lot.

The ruger super redhawk is the only 44 mag i've ever liked enough to buy and keep.
I'd strongly suggest you try to shoot what your interested in before buying.

Another vote for the Dan Wesson here.  You can have the 6" range toy and 4" woods carry all in one revolver.  I've got 3 barrels and 3 shrouds which gives me 4 combinations.

I have one ported barrel and one ported shroud.  I can use either the ported (with jacketed bullets) or non-ported barrel(any bullets) in the ported shroud.

Can't go wrong with a 5.5" Redhawk. It's a beast.

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If you're not going to shoot it a lot or push hot hand loads, get a S&W. (pre lock if you can find one, and hasn't been messed with). If you want to push hot loads (hand or boutique) or are going to shoot it a LOT. (like many thousands of rounds here) then get the Ruger for sure.


Personally I like long barreled revolvers. Both for ballistics and longer sight radius. Short barrels and magnum calibers are generally silly combinations. I don't think I would carry ANY magnum caliber in a barrel that was less than 3 1/2". Might as well just go to a non-magnum caliber then like .44 Special or .38 Special.

29-2. If Harry Callahan is wrong, I don't want to be right.

I don't have any personal experience on this subject yet, but from what I've been reading, you're half right.
Hot loads put lots of stress on the cylinder and frame, and you and everybody else are correct in that Ruger makes those stronger.
But lots of high volume shooting wears out the trigger and hammer and the clockwork stuff inside, and Smith makes those better.

I just picked up the 629 Classic 5" as a general purpose all around gun... I will be getting a 29-2 at some point in 6.5 so figured no point in having two the same barrel length.

There is so much misinformation here....

"S&W = Safe Queen"

"S&W can't handle steady .44 mag ammo, might survive .44 Special"

"Ruger trigger 10X worse than S&W"

It all depends on your intended use.
The "one spring" Redhawk will inevitable suffer in double action trigger pull, but it can be improved.
The Super Redhawk is easier (cheaper) to modify into a better trigger pull.
The S&W N-frame is just better trigger wise out the box, and can be made better with custom work.
Size and more important weight becomes a big factor.

I've never shot a Ruger double action that had 10X worse trigger than a S&W, worse yes, but not like some say.

IF, you intend to ramp up the .44 Remington Magnum cartridge to it's top end levels then a Ruger is your best vehicle for that.
IF top end .44 mag performance is your goal, you might want to consider 454 Casull, 460's, 480's, 500's, 475 Linebaugh's. Maybe not. The choices are there.
IF you seek to send real 44 mag rounds downrange by the 10's of thousands a S&W 29/629/329 WILL do that (329 will need some factory attention from time to time, the price you pay for power to weight ratio). And do it in a slightly more slimmer, trimmer, "gots a better trigger" package.

I personally know too many people who have thousands upon thousands of 44 mags thru a M29/629 to buy the "safe queen" line.
I also know people who's life quest is to hot rod the 44 mag at it's limits. They happily live in Ruger Town.
So pick the use, what level ammo do you intend to throw in large quantities.
How much are you willing to carry (assuming you'll carry the gun). We read all the time, Ruger=Built Like a Tank, I don't wanna carry a tank all day ever day. If I did, it would produce more HP than a 44 mag. Others do.
Maybe a 454 or greater is a mo better platform for slinging your lead, maybe not.

I'm just glad we have these choices in America. And I don't care if your gun is a S&W, Ruger, or other, as long as YOU are shooting it and having fun.

S&W stopped the pinned barrels and recessed cylinders with the 29-3, and I believe they started putting the endurance package on the -4 or -5s (always get the dashes mixed up) and I think the -7 got the lock, frame mounted firing pin and MIM parts. The 629s I don't know because I don't really care for stainless revolvers that much. If I remember right the 329 was the one that had the problems with the lock locking under recoil.

That's why .44 Specials are so good, they have a light barrel and a shorter cylinder so they weigh less than a Magnum will. My 5" .44 Special feels a lot lighter in a holster than my 4" M28. And with some heavy handloads has plenty of power for anything I'll ever need a pistol for.

29-6 Classic
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1926 Military .44 Special
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From a recoil standpoint I suggest the Ruger Super Redhawk. It uses the same grip stud design as the GP100 and SP101.  The standard Redhawk uses a traditional frame like the S&W.  The grip stud insulates your hand from the metal frame.  The SRH action is also easier to tune yourself.

I went with this one. It is wearing Culina smooth cokes.

Might have to change my answer.  I bought a Hogue grip for that Redhawk and it's like a whole new gun, one that's useable and isn't going to just sit it the safe collecting dust.
Dad went and got a holster for it, probably going to start carrying it in the woods.
Both trigger pulls almost feel better than my 629, that hurts my feelings a little  Hopefully mine will wear in after a while

Unfortunetly they are built much cheaper too. Seen to many issues with them to trust with my life

I have 2 DW 44's, one is a blued 44 with an 8" light lug vented barrel with a Burris 2x scope on it for deer hunting.  The other is a 744 that came with an 8" full lug barrel and I have a 2.5", 4", 6" and the orig 8" barrel assemblies and holsters for all by the 2.5" barrel, which will fit in the 4" holster.  The heavy weight soaks up the recoil.  My hunting loads are a 240gr XTP over 24gr of 296, which comes out to around 1400 FPS (the blued 44 has a slightly faster barrel than the 744 does in 8"; I had some chrono readings of 1450 fps with the blued barrel!).  Most factory 44 Mags are around 1180 fps-1250fps.  Accuracy is ridiculous as well, hitting 9" plates at 100 yds easily with iron sights in double action standing and 6" plates with a scope at the same range.  My mom even hit the 100 yd plate standing with the full 44 magnum 1400 fps hunting loads and iron sights.  After shooting mine, my Dad has a 6" 744 and Mom has a 744 with the 8V barrel (light lug vented like my blued 44).

I had a S&W 629 4" before...the DW 744 with 4" barrel is MUCH more comfortable to shoot, even with the heavy magnums.  Accuracy is better, trigger is pretty nice, too and since my 744 wasn't fired much before I got it, the trigger is still getting even smoother than it was before.  Used DW 44's are around $600-$900, depending on barrel length and blued vs stainless, and I prefer them over S&W and Rugers.  I also have a 15-2 with 3 barrels, Dad has a 15-2 with 3 barrels and Mom has a 715 with 2 barrels.  I prefer those over my S&W 19 6" and my 6" Colt Python.

Go with the DW and get some extra barrels!

Not in the mix for you but my S&W has been awesome

my lgs got one of those in last week. what a beast.

i almost bought it but then the gen 5 glocks hit and i had to have them lol.

This thread demonstrates that when it comes to a .44mag wheelgun ...

1) Fanboyz will choose some flavor of S&W, which won't get shot much after the appeal wears off;

2) Practical guys will choose some flavor of Ruger, and "make do" with the ensuing grip, trigger, and recall issues;

3) Economy-minded shoppers will choose some flavor of Taurus, 'cause that's what they'd buy if WallyMart's Sporting Goods section stocked them.

I love Ruger semi-auto .22's; my favorite .22 caliber manufacturer by far pistol and rifle. For anything else, no, just no... If I wanted a .44 mag then Smith and Wesson is the only manufacturer I'd look at. YMMV.

Lol good post - I started with Taurus Tracker, as I wasn't sure how much I would really shoot it.  Then moved into a 629, bought the dies etc for my Dillon (but had a heck of a time selling the Taurus too, not very popular choice), but really want a DW - I'm a DW freak... no, a DW superfreak  actually for 1911's, so will assuredly pickup up a DW at some point I suspect.

I looked at a few Rugers - but honestly I've never really held *any* Ruger including P-series, 1911-series, etc that I've been super pleased with, which is probably not a popular opinion but it is what it is.  Actually I guess that's not true, a buddy has a couple Mini's I like :).

Y'all have lots of valid points, but truthfully, no one gun is perfect in every way.  They all do the job, however.  I'm leaning toward the Ruger Super Blackhawk with the  4.62 inch barrel.  I'll probably shoot mostly 44 Spl cowboy loads for fun, but if I carry in the field, I'd have 3 or 4 full house loads in the cylinder.  I just think this gun is kinda mean looking.